Crate-bottom for tombstones.



C. H. FAWCETT. CRATE BOTTOM FOR TOMBSTONES. APPLICATION FILED IIAY3.I9I1.

1,272,335. Patented July 9,1918..

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Fig 6 C. H. FAWCETT. CRATE BOTTOM FOR TOMBSTONES. APPLICATION FILED IIIAY s. 1917.

1 ,272,335. Patented July 9, 1918.

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CHARLES HAMILTON rewcnrr, or INDEPENDENCE, Iowa.

CRATE-BOTTOM ron vroniias'roivns.

Application filed May- 3, 1917.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES IIIA-MILTON FAwoE'rT, a citizen of the United States-of America, and a resident of Independence, Buchanan county, Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Crate- Bottoms for Tombstones, 0f which the following isa specification.

My inventionv relates to improvements in crate bottoms for tombstoncs or the like, and the object of my improvement/is lto construct theremovable bottom of such a crate with a removable supportingelement Connected thereto; and which may be utilized in supporting the superincumbent stone carried' by said bottom `after the stone has been deposited, together with said bottom,

upon a base-block, whereby the bottom may be removed from under the stone by merely separating it from said removable element.

This object I have accomplished by the means which are hereinafter described and claimed, and which are illustrated in the aocompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a top plan of my improved crate-body; Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof; Fig. 8 is a longitudinal vertical section thereof, taken on the dotted line a-Z) of said Fig. l, and looking in the direction indicated by the arrow; Fig. t is a perspective view of the crate bottom, with its removable element in place; Fig. 5 is a perspective View of said removable element as detached from said crate bottom; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a tombstone or die upon said crate-bottom after the body of the crate has been removed, both supported upon rollers resting upon the top of a base-block, and Fig. Z is a perspective view of the same base-block with the parts of the crate-bottom disassembled, the tombstone or die being indicated by dotted lines as supported upon blocks placed on said base-block and above said crate bottom.

Similar numerals of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The ordinary crate used for covering the die of a tombstone, or other like massive body, has a bottom composed of elements rigidly fastened together and which can only be taken from under the stone when the latter is placed upon the base-block by cutting or otherwise destroying. This results in a waste of material, and it is my object, by this invention, to provide a crate bottom Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1918.

Seria-1 No. 166,178.

which can be withdrawn from beneath a su} )erincumbent die by merely disalssociating the parts thereof and then manipulating them properly to remove them without damage, to be reassembled for future use.

The crate-bottom shown in Fig. has endblocks 4f connected to spaced longitudinal side-blocks 2. Superposed side-blocks l are fastened upon the sideeblocks 2 to extend across the ends of the end-blocks 4. Transverse spacing-blocks 3 are fastened upon the end-blocks 4 between the said blocks l. The numeral 5 denotes a removable element or transverse block havingat each end an outwardly widened tongue 7. The shoulders provided at the ends of said block 5 adjacent to said tongue, engage the inner faces of the upper side blocks l, and the side blocks l have grooves 8 to receive the tongue 7, and these grooves may extend completely through the side-blocks l, as shown. The numeral 6 denotes a transverse spacingblock fastened on the underside of the block to have its ends engage the inner walls of the lower side-blocks 2. It should be noted that the conjoined blocks 5 and 6 are not fastened to the crate bottom by any other means than the fitting of said tongues 7 into the grooves 8, and therefore, may be disassembled from said bottom when the bottom is moved downwardly relative to the said spacing-blocks. Vhile not essential, I have shown thin strips of wood 9, such as lath or the like, which can be fastened along the top of the crate bottom rectangularly and spaced a short distance from the outer angles thereof, and upon which the die of a tombstone may proximately rest. This prevents shocks being transmitted directly to the frangible lower angles of the die, which might result in their breakage. Then the strips 9 are thus carried across the upper surfaces of the tongue 7, sawkerfs must be made through the strips in" the same plane as the side-walls of the grooves 8 to permit of relative displacement of said tongues from the crate bottom.

Referring now to Figs. 6 and 7, when the main part of the crate has been removed from a stone or die 10, the latter still resting on the crate-bottom is transferred on rollers l2 to the top of a base-block 11 as indicated by Fig. 6. Since the under surface of the crate-bottom is now elevated above the top of the base-block, blocks 18 may be inserted beneath the connected spacing-blocks 5--6. The rollers are then Y removed, which leaves the die resting upon the blocks 5-6, and the main part VoI the crate-bottom may then be pushed downwardly to free it from the blocks 5-6, and since it is entirely below the level of said blocks, may be turned about to be at a right angle to its former position. By means of the use lof a lever, blocks lll may then be inserted beneath the ends of 4the die 10 to lift the latter upwardly from the blocks 5-6, as shown in Fig. 7, when the cratebottom and said blocks 5 6 may be removed from beneath the die to be reassembled for further use. The die may then be lowered upon the base-block l1 by using4 a lever or other appropriate means.

Having ydescribed my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: l. A crate-bottom for tombstones and the like, comprising an open frame, and an intermediate supporting element removably Copies of this patent may be obtained for connected thereto by a tongue and groove connection only, adapted to become disassooiated therefrom when the crate-bottom is moved downwardly only relatively to said element.

2. A crate bottom for tombstones and the like, comprising an open rectangular frame the uppermost parts of whose side members have upwardly opening grooves, and an intermediate supporting element removably Connected thereto, said element jbeing composed O across-bar connected tothe side members of the frame by proj eoting tongues ittin-g said grooves and havingl a downwardly directed part whose `ends are engaged with the opposite inner longitudinal walls of said frame, said element adapted to become disassooiated from said frame when'the latter is moved downwardly only relative tothe element.

Signed at Waterloo, Iowa, this 28th day of April, 1917.

` CHARLES HAMILTON FAWGETT.

ve ents each, by addressing the Gommissioner'of Patents,

Washington, I). C. 

